


a little less conversation (a little more action please)

by Macremae



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Bottom Newton Geiszler, Crack, Cunnilingus, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub Undertones, Established Relationship, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Smut, Ghost Drifting, Handcuffs, Humor, M/M, Post-Movie: Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), Praise Kink, Top Hermann Gottlieb, Trans Newton Geiszler, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, aka NO RULES JUST RIGHT OUTBACK BIG DICK HERMANN, hermann fucks the precursors out of newt, like kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:27:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25072366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macremae/pseuds/Macremae
Summary: A few weeks into their capture and interrogation-slash-expert and totally planned out infliction of psychological warfare on the PPDC’s crack team of specialists (interns), the Precursors decide that the charade of Pretending to Be Newt Geiszler is a) too morally, spiritually, mentally, and vocally exhausting to continue, and b) just honestly destroying their vibe. In their laser-focused efforts to regroup and break out and enact Plan B, which is definitely a thing that exists, they get a little lax with security measures. Leave some room for error. It’s understandable.Their first mistake is allowing the reopening of Newt and Hermann’s Drift link.Hermann is given access to both Newton’s mind, and a relative play-by-play of his activities during the last ten years. He expected a lot of boredom. He did not expect it to result, apparently, in a great deal of vivid, wildly graphic sexual fantasies. One which, in particular, seems oddly relevant to their situation at hand. Useful, even. It might actually work.Their second mistake is significantly overestimating Hermann’s remaining dignity at this point.
Relationships: Karla Gottlieb/Vanessa Gottlieb, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Comments: 10
Kudos: 83





	a little less conversation (a little more action please)

**Author's Note:**

> hey everybody how big of an ex catholic are you well i've had this entire fic planned out for TWO YEARS and am just now writing it so i win. the lack of hermann fucks the precursors out of newt fics in the tag that feature explicit consent (minus like, one) really rustled my jimmies, because nothing is sexier than joining forces with your pseudo-boyfriend to get evil aliens railed straight out of you! this is my strongest argument yet for why i should get a lobotomy, or like a peabody. either or. okay have fun stay safe keep it sexy yell at me @bae-science on tumblr and @shakesexual on twt

If you had asked Hermann at various stages of his relationship to Newton Geiszler what he imagined their first time would be like, you would have received wildly different answers depending on the year, the methods of their day-to-day communication, and later on, how much important information was currently still up on his blackboards, and whether the increasingly desperate need to find _some_ way to shut Newton up outweighed their importance. 

If you had told him that several factors in their _actual_ first time would be alien possession, handcuffs, and Newton in clothes that didn’t come from a store that also sold Funko Pops, he would have called you a moronic, babbling heathen, paused at the idea of Newton not being able to gesture with his hands in a way that sometimes (often) could be labeled a genuine workplace hazard, and then perhaps engaged in a quick Google search that would ruin his spotless internet history forever. 

However, by the time 2035 arrived and brought with it a series of increasingly shocking and distressing revelations, Hermann had sort of lost the ability to give a shit.

“Alright,” said Karla at the bi-weekly Zoom call convening of the Gottlieb Trio Sodomy Society (Vanessa’s name, Hermann’s eternal and futile battle to change it). “Well. We must have other options you haven’t tried yet”.

Hermann ran a hand through his hair for the third time in the past five minutes, slumping incrementally further in his desk chair. “If they have magically appeared since our previous call, I’d be delighted to hear them.”

Vanessa drummed her nails on her chin, thinking. Hermann noticed they had the appearance of being hastily clipped short, and then focused a not-small amount of brain power into unnoticing it. “Have you tried starting an argument with him? Not with the Precursors, but something you and Newt regularly fought about back during the War? It might piss him off enough to get through.”

“Already tried,” Hermann said flatly. “We were able to debate an old work of John Sutherland’s for nearly five minutes before a guard interrupted, and I lost him. It doesn’t appear to be very permanent.”

“And you certainly can’t walk around shouting at each other for the rest of your lives,” Karla agreed. “Or at least, more than usual.”

Hermann shot her a glare. “Helpful suggestions, please.”

“Hey, hey, let’s look at what we know,” Vanessa said. “High emotional states disrupt their control, right? It happened in the control room during the attack, you said, and when you argued, and when you played that old song he liked; he was able to thank you. So the amygdala has gotta have something to do with it. They don’t like that part of the brain.”

“Wonderful. We can simply grow it to the size of a small house and inject it with steroids. Brilliant idea, Vanessa.” 

Vanessa flipped him the bird. “Hey. Frasier. We’re trying to help.” He sighed.

“Yes, yes I know. I apologize. High emotional state, yes.”

“I have a theory,” Karla began, and paused until they both nodded at her to continue. “Well. In concerning the ‘high emotional state’ bit; what emotions have they typically been? That he’s experienced.”

Hermann listed them off on his fingers. “Fear, anger, sadness, certainly indignance when we were arguing; the like.”

She nodded. “Yes, all negative emotions. Which, perhaps, could only be allowing a temporary break in control because, in the end, they contribute to his distressed state while under the Precursors. Being sad at hearing a song is all well and good, yes, but it’s simply a stronger feeling of sadness than what he’s already experiencing, and has been for the past ten years. It’s an increase in intensity; not anything new.”

“So what’s your point?” Vanessa asked. Karla smiled.

“My point, dear, is that perhaps we need to edit our approach a bit. Not just focus on inciting a _strong_ emotional response in Newt, but also a _positive_ one.”

“And how am I to do that?” Hermann asked, sarcasm tingeing his voice. “The man is kept under lock and code in a cold, dark prison cell with restraints and a cot and terrible meals and no one for regular company except uncaring guards and monsters. Patting him on the shoulder and bringing him a muffin from the cafeteria isn’t going to cut it.”

“Well I did say strong, Hermann,” Karla said. “There are plenty of things that activate human dopamine receptors in a significant way.” She raised her eyebrows.

“Karla, I am not giving Newton drugs,” Hermann snapped, and Karla burst out laughing. His frown deepened. “And I don’t imagine you’re banking on me being particularly funny.”

Vanessa snickered and gave her wife a pat on the shoulder. “No, no, I get what she’s saying. Hermann, bun, she means like physical stuff. Like give the poor guy a fucking hug.” She paused, then wiggled her brows up and down. “Or more.”

Hermann went bright red, then smacked his hand down onto the desk as Karla managed to gather herself. “Newton is _possessed_ , Vanessa! He can barely use his own mouth most of the bloody time! How on Earth am I supposed to judge his comfort levels, especially considering the amount of abhorrent treatment he’s faced over the past _decade_ , when I can barely get an answer to how he is most days?”

Vanessa looked at him as if Hermann were missing a very large, glowing sign. “Dude. Didn’t you tell me just the other day you thought your Drift link was reopening?”

Hermann’s frown edged slightly from scandalized to confused. “Yes, but what does that have anything toー”

“Oh yes, you did mention that,” Karla said to Vanessa. She turned to Hermann. “Hermann darling, you said after your first Drift with Newton you had a very strong connection with him.”

“You two do know more specificity is required here, yes?” 

“Ah, right, sorry,” Karla said. “Hermann, what we’re saying is, you should see if you can use it to reach out to Newt in any way. See what it results in.”

“The Drift is not a catch-all mind reading telephone to be used to acquire justification for an entirely ridiculous facsimile of ‘true love’s kiss’!” Hermann snapped. Vanessa put her hands up defensively. 

“Hey, hey, it doesn’t have to end up like that. We’re looking for big happy feelings here, not anything specific. Regardless, I’ll bet my ass that at least getting to talk to you, and feeling less alone and isolated down there, would totally lift Newt’s spirits.”

Hermann’s frown twisted sideways, but he still found himself reluctantly nodding. They weren’t wrong. “Iーalright. You make a point. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“Exactly, dear,” Karla said brightly. “Everyone just wants to know they’re worth the effort.”

➽───────────────❥

Hermann didn’t exactly know… _how_ one initiated contact with their Drift partner via the link, especially when said link had been shut tight for ten years, but he resolved to give it the old college try and, if that failed, grind his teeth through listening to Newton’s old Spotify playlists until something happened. A headache, most likely.

He started by meditating, or at least what he read on a single skimmed Wikipedia article to approximate meditating, and sat as comfortably as he could on the edge of his bed for a good five minutes before the rumbling of the Shatterdome pipes proved to be too much of a distraction. It never was before, however, so that might have been progress. Or a degrading sanitation system. 

Next, Hermann opened his bottom desk drawer and removed a tupperware box of miniature lemon-poppy seed muffins that, if pressed, he’d have insinuated contained substances that had to be procured on a trip to Hong Kong rather than in the surrounding town. They were honestly quite good either way, and he ate one with his evening tea before settling back with a slightly-misshapen sweater he was knitting for Newton after they allowed him real clothes, and waited for the, ah. Well you know.

It was certainly nice when it happened, but no real connection seemed to present itself, nor any visions of Newton, although Hermann wasn’t even quite sure how that would work. He resolved to just enjoy being able to fall asleep a little faster than usual, showered, dressed for bed, and climbed under his completely normal number of weighted blankets before letting his eyes drift shut.

He should have bloody _known_ Newton would be late even to this.

Hermann was right in the middle of a perfectly nice dream involving the lollygagger in question, running his hand over the soaked linen sleeve of Newton’s not entirely period accurate shirt, when the besotted expression on his face suddenly, with no warning, changed to one of confusion. He blinked, glanced around, then yelped as he dropped Hermann to the ground.

Thankfully, Hermann tended not to experience pain in dreams, so he was left with only indignance when he pushed himself upright, glaring fiercely. “Excuse you,” he said, to which Newton continued to stare.

“Hey, uh, what the fuck?” he asked, eyes darting from Hermann’s rumpled cravat to his waistcoat, to Newton’s own clothing. “Why did it justーI mean this is new. I’m not complaining, but what the hell.” He looked up towards the brilliant blue sky, as if searching for a message there. “Guys! What the fuck! This is not the time to get fucking creative!”

Hermann was, at first, extremely confused as to why his very nice fantasy of Newton, usually much more focused on finishing what he started with that cravat, was suddenly shouting at God and ignoring _him_ , until he realized that perhaps God might not be the target audience here. And that this Newton might not be a fantasy.

“Newton?” he ventured, taking his cane from where it had tumbled next to him and rising to his feet. “Isーis that you?”

Newton turned back to him, a frown on his face until he took in Hermann’s expression. All the air visibly left his chest in one long, shocked wheeze. His eyes widened. “Oh this better not be a trap.”

“Nーno,” Hermann said, taking a step forward. “No, it’s not. This is myーI’m me. It’s me, Newton.”

Newton took his own step closer, barely more than half a foot, hands shaking. “We’re… And you…” He sucked in a shaky breath. “Oh my God.”

Then, without warning, he surged forward and crushed Hermann into a hug.

Hermann let himself be pulled in, arms flying up to wrap tightly around Newton’s back and squeeze. He dropped his cane, both hands gripping the back of his shirt so tightly his knuckles hurt, trying to push back the noise threatening to build in his throat. “God,” he echoed, the feeling of Newton’s warm hands flat and trembling at the small of his back making him almost dizzy with relief. “Newton.”

“Yeah,” Newton replied, voice muffled but audibly choked up. “Yeah, Hermann, it’s me. I’m here. I’ve got you.”

“I thought I’d never get to touch you again,” Hermann said, turning his head to bury his face in Newton’s hair. It was the length he had kept it back during the First War, free of gel and damp, smelling of fresh rain and something earthy. He brought a hand up to run his fingers through it. 

Newton made a pleased noise at this and tucked his head into Hermann’s shoulder, breathing in deeply and moving his hands up and down. “Me neither. Or anyone, actually.” He shifted so their chests were pressed more firmly together. Hermann could feel the faint pulse of his heartbeat through their clothes. “They better put me in a coma, though, ‘cause I’m not letting go anytime soon.”

Hermann gave a watery chuckle. “I don’t think I can convince them to do that, although I’m certainly tempted to try.” He pulled back for a moment, drinking in Newton’s faceーhis _real_ face, not the one distorted by the Precursors or hollowed by hunger and weariness, but the one he knew belonged entirely to Newton. The smile that he gave Hermann on purpose, because he wanted him to know what it meant.

Newton took his hand and ran it across Hermann’s forehead, his bangs brushing over the tops of his fingertips. He glanced at the swath of wet fabric still plastered to his arms and chuckled softly. “So, uh, you wanna maybe explain what all this is about? I mean, I get who I’m supposed to be here, but…”

Hermann felt his face heat up, and half-heartedly smacked his hand away. “Shut up. I don’t doubt for a moment you’ve had stranger dreams.”

“Oh is that what they call it now?” Newton said, raising an eyebrow. His mouth curled upwards. “I mean, I admire the creativity, and I’m flattered, dudeー”

“The first bloody time in _years_ we’re given to properly speak to each other, and you use it for this,” Hermann said with a wide roll of his eyes. “Unbelievable.”

Newton’s cheeks went even pinker. “I mean we can finish what you started if I’m being _such_ a buzzkill.”

Hermann snorted and shook his head, letting his hands fall to rest on Newton’s chest. “No no, you aren’t; don’t worry. I’m quite aware of what an ordeal you’re going through, and I’m certain that’s the _last_ thing on your mind.”

A short, squeaky little laugh leapt out of Newton’s mouth, and his hand twitched as if to stifle it. He glanced aside, but not at anything Hermann could see. “Yeah! Yeah, uh. Definitely haven’t been, uh. You know. All eyes on the prize here. Definitely.”

“You said ‘definitely’ twice,” Hermann noted aloud, out of second nature from their old arguments more than anything else. Then, he frowned. “Wait a moment. You did. Newton, what aren’t you telling me?”

Newton tried to take a step back, but Hermann sensed he would a second before he even did so, and followed. “Dude, seriously, nothing you need to be worried about.”

“Given our current circumstances, I find that difficult to believe.” He narrowed his eyes. “Are you alright? Is it aboutーhave the Precursors been using your dreams to torture you further?”

“No!” Newton threw up his hands defensively, then paused and amended, “Well, at first yeah, but lately there’s been less of it, for some reason? I mean, I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but uh, no; mostly just while we’re both awake. Hermann, I promise, everything’s manageable.”

“‘Manageable’ doesn’t mean good, Newton.” 

He huffed. “Look, just because you went to three whole therapy sessions last year doesn’t mean you're suddenly an expert on mental health.” Hermann blinked.

“How did you know that?”

“Oh, uh.” Newton had the good graces to look sheepish. “Well, I’ve been getting, y’know, flashes and stuff, from your brain. Memories and some feelings and stuff. I think our Drift link is reopening? But when I thought that was what it might be, I got curious as to what you’d been doing while I was, um, out, and I was worried you spent the whole time mad and hating me, so I just like, y’know, tried to feel out exactly what the situation was, and I may have accidentally looked into your brain on purpose?” He smiled with far too many teeth. “In my defense, I wanted to be ready if I got punched in the face again.”

“I’m not going to punch you, Newton,” Hermann said faintly, trying to wrap his mind around what the other man had been able to do. “You were able to use the link on purpose?”

Newton, recognizing that Hermann’s curiosity was winning out, nodded eagerly. “Yeah, kind of? I just tried to do it the way I always assumed people in movies read minds. Like, the same brain muscles.”

“That’s rubbish,” said Hermann, and then tried to focus in a way that sort of mimicked a child’s attempt to telepathically move the TV remote. After a moment, he sighed. “Newton, don’t be ridiculous; you must have done something other thanー”

Without so much as a synaptic shock beforehand, Hermann’s mind was suddenly flooded with the exact number of raw, still-shelled eggs the Precursors had consumed before experiencing salmonella. He gasped and took a staggered step back, trying to blink away an impossible wave of sudden nausea, and the horrible taste in the back of his mouth. Newton quickly caught him by the shoulders.

“Hey, hey, easy! Yeah, it’s pretty wild the first time. The eggs, right?”

“Oh Christ,” Hermann gagged, “that’s bloody disgusting. Your body is a garbage disposal.”

“Ha, yeah, they kind of sucked at the whole ‘consumable objects’ thing for a while.” Newton gave his shoulder a comforting pat. “You’re good, you’re gonna be fine. Deep breaths.”

“We’re _dreaming_ , Newton,” Hermann said with a scowl, slowly feeling the roiling in his nonexistent stomach reside. “We don’t have lungs.”

“Helps anyway,” he replied with a shrug. “And you did always have kind of a delicate stomach.”

The scowl deepened, and Hermann reached for something to use. “Well, erーyou told aliens that alternately-patterned socks were a normal fashion choice!”

“Hey, they are!” Newton said indignantly. “Andーwellーyou didn’t listen to anything but that one Taylor Swift song for a full week until your SSRIs kicked in!”

“I was emotionally manipulated into that and you know it!” Hermann stepped back and pointed a finger straight at Newton’s chest. “Your ‘brilliant’ scheme for getting fired from Shao was writing complaints about _yourself_!”

“Oh, well, I learned from the best after all!” Newton hissed. Hermann, determined to deliver a devastating blow that would solidify his place as the more normal of them both, concentrated hard on finding any embarrassing things Newton had done out of boredom while pushed back deep into his mind. He saw flashes of a bouncy rubber ball, some insulting cartoons featuring the Precursors, and thenー

The image solidified in both of their minds for the same, brief instant, and Newton’s face drained of all color when it appeared. It was, obviously, a daydream conjured to pass the time, given the soft, foggy rendering of it, but Hermann could still clearly see the subject.

A version of Hermann was heroically holding Newton in his arms, the contents of the Precursors’ office at Shao demolished around them. The cloned brain’s tank was also there, somehow, and smashed to pieces, Alice a puddle of soaking goo. The real focus, however, was the two of them: Newton sprawled across the desk in the throes of pleasure, divested of most of his clothing, while Hermannーwell, Hermann wasー

“Oh, _fuck_!” the real Newton yelped, taking an unbalanced step back as the image vanished. “Oh shit, uh, Hermann you really weren’t supposed to see thatーin fact, just totally forget as much as you possibly can about itー”

“Good heavens,” said Hermann in a voice with more cracks than complete words. His face felt hot and cold at the same time, although he was certain it was not its typical color. Newton looked as if he wanted to swan dive into the idyllic-looking river nearby.

“Okay, look, I got really bored and lonely at some, uh, points, and I never, ever, _ever_ thought you’d see that, and I mean it would be literally impossible for you to fuck them out of me anywayー”

“Is that what I was doing?” Hermann asked, and Newton froze.

“Uh. Um. Yeah. Essentially.” He nervously turned up dirt with the toe of his boot. “Like I said, dude, it was just a dumb fantasy that I had once, or twice, or like a completely normal amount of times, and the other variations were _way_ less embarassingー”

“I’m so sorry, there were otherー?”

“And basically,” Newton finished, seeming to finally run out of breath, “you don’t need to look too deeply into it, and obviously I know things are complicated and you probably feel, like, really weird about me in generalーwhich I totally don’t blame you for, and it’s fine, I promiseーso I think the best course of, uh, things to do is just enjoy this _lovely_ weather we’re having and never talk about it again.” His mouth snapped shut, lips pressing together and cheeks puffing out in a way that made him look oddly similar to a picture of a cat Vanessa had sent him once. 

Hermann, grateful for the silence so he could at last gather his thoughts on this… well, it certainly was provoking a number of reactions in him, cleared his throat and decided to focus on the most important point of Newton’s panicked ramble. “Howーhow do you think I feel about you?”

Newton frowned. “Uh. Like I said, weird? Because, I mean, yeah yeah possession stuff, but I was still a dick and pretty useless throughout the whole thing, and obviously there was theーtheーy’know, and I’m not an idiot, Hermann; I don’t expect that you’re just going to be unconditionally fine with me after everything.”

Without thinking, Hermann took a step forward and laced their fingers together. Newton made a surprised noise in the back of his throat. “I am,” he said, voice wavering slightly, “so very sorry they made you think that, Newton. I don’t. Whatever the worst they have told you is, I don’t, and I wouldn’t be doing everything I can and then some to get you back if I did.” Feeling brave, he leaned down and pressed his lips gently to Newton’s forehead. “And I…” he swallowed hard. “You were notーthe only one, who perhaps harbored some slightly unrealistic scenarios of our reunion.”

Hermann recalled the wistful, half-formed plans he had made to sweep Newton off his feet when the envoy from Shao arrived; how he would impress him with his discoveries and theories, the way they would easily fall back into their old push and pull as if nothing had happened, and an even further buried fantasy of the night they would share, and knew Newton was seeing them all. He gave him a small, tentative smile. “I also hadーah, some dashed expectations, I suppose.”

Newton rubbed at the side of his nose, a habit when he was embarrassed, and let the grin he had been holding back break through. “Seriously? I mean, yours were kinda cute, though, and if I had been me I totally would have. Mine wasー”

“Well, obviously it would happen in a less ideal environment, but I can see the logistics,” Hermann said offhandedly, not quite thinking of the implications. “Unless the restraints they have you in would be a detriment, but I’m assuming not, based on past preference. And I agree; it would at least be quite a horrible experience for _them_. They’d likely turn tail and flee at the first sign of intimacy.”

“Wait, really?” asked Newton, his expression unreadable.

Hermann would later pinpoint this moment as the exact instant his life ceased to follow any normal trajectory whatsoever, and also as the strongest possible argument for his removal from MENSA. “Of course. It would be quite easy, too; they’re all so focused on their idiotic invasion or whatnot, I don’t think anyone actually reviews the security footage from our sessions.” He looked back at Newton, expecting to hear a contradicting remark, but was shocked to see him staring at Hermann with wide, almost white-less eyes. Hermann made a choking noise. “Areーare you actuallyー”

“You literally just spelled out how it could work, dude!” Newton shot back defensively, shoulders curling in slightly. “Don’t get mad at me for actually agreeing with you for once!”

“Well noーI didn’t mean to…” Hermann trailed off as he realized the futility of that statement. Why _had_ his brain so quickly devised a scenario in which Newton’s fantasy could become reality? And why did it suddenly seem so plausible?

Newton appeared to be pondering the same thing. “You don’t think…” he began, to which Hermann had to admit that he did.

“IーI mean, it was your idea in the first place.”

“But _your_ plan,” he countered. Newton shuffled his feet again. “I wouldn’t be, like. Significantly opposed. In the name of scientific experimentation and cross-dimensional relations. Really.”

“It could indeed be a valuable source on how members of that species respond to sexual activities,” Hermann agreed, unable to believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth. Newton _did_ have a point, however. “Especially considering their own asexual reproduction.”

“We’d actually be bad scientists _not_ to,” Newton said, and Hermann honestly couldn’t argue with rock solid logic such as that. He nodded.

“Well I suppose… if the both of us are fully on board with such an experiment…”

“And we get the security footage as evidence and analyze it, which makes it legitimate science.” Newton swallowed hard and looked up, eyes growing darker once more. “I don’t see anything wrong with a collaborative project.”

Hermann’s heart was beating faster than he thought physically possible. “Right. Right then. Well. I’ll, ah. Pop down to the supermarket tomorrow and acquire the necessary supplies.”

Newton smirked, and that sealed the deal right then and there. “You didn’t have them already? Been a while?”

Hermann brought his mouth down to Newton’s ear, and said in a low, warm voice that gave him a full-body shiver, “Oh, ten years, in fact. But I’m _quite_ certain I’m not out of practice at _all_.”

➽───────────────❥

“Hello, good morning, you are not important,” said Hermann before the Precursors could even open their mouth, striding smoothly into the area between the cell door and the thick panel of glass separating them. He counted to three silently, calculating the amount of time it would take for them to process this drastic change in his behavior and form a response, then said without looking up from his tablet, “No.”

“Oh we are just dripping with self-importance today, aren’t we?” they said mock-cheerily. Hermann could practically hear their sneer. “Finally decided he’s not worth the effort?”

“Oh good, you haven’t figured it out yet,” Hermann said pleasantly. “That makes things much easier.” He set his tablet down next to the chair that was placed in front of the divider, and hung the plastic shopping bag in his other hand over the back of it. Then, Hermann sat down and removed his shoes, but not his socks (it was bloody freezing in that place), placed them underneath the chair, and looked directly at the center of the Precursors’ forehead. “Newton,” he asked, “is everything still alright?”

Their agreed-upon signal until Newton had control of his mouth, a picture of one of Newton’s old science olympiad trophies, flashed in his mind. Hermann smiled. “Wonderful. Do you think I can come in now?”

The trophy appeared again. Hermann, to the increasing confusion of the Precursors, took his cane, the bag, and approached the small door set into the glass. He typed a code in and let it slide open, stepping inside as if there was nothing odd about approaching an entire race of alien war criminals whilst unarmed, and with no shoes. The Precursors were looking at him like he was the biggest idiot in a Shatterdome full of them. 

“Well,” said Hermann, setting the bag down and leaning casually back against the glass. He had to admit that a smidge of cockiness did suit him. The Precursors’ pinky twitched ever-so-slightly. Apparently, Newton agreed. “I’d tell you to get out of my way, but I’m assuming you’re not going to make this particularly easy.”

“What the hell are you doing, Gottlieb?” they snapped, narrowing their eyes. “We don’t need our hands to stamp that stupid fucking face of yours in.”

“They’re Newton’s hands, actually, and I’d truly prefer he were able to use them, but we did prepare for this.” Hermann pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly forward, each step a deliberate message that he would take his sweet time if he pleased. When the Precursors realized he wasn’t going to walk around them, they backed away, taken off guard just enough to not notice when the foot of the bed hit the back of their knees. They fell back onto their seat. Hermann felt a deliberate snicker. 

“Yes, you really should have kept a better handle on your, well, mental security networks, I suppose,” he mused, standing over them. “All those years spent keeping me and Newton apart, and a few poor accommodations is what does it for you.” He gave them a mock-sympathetic smile. “Was it the lack of a minibar?”

Snarling, the Precursors made to stand, but Hermann planted his free hand on their shoulder and forced them back down. “No, I don’t think so. I’m quite finished with whatever petty mind games you’re attempting to call ‘Plan B’, and so is Newton. We will be exiting this room together, one way or another, and you lot can either leave now, or…” The smile turned distinctively malicious. The Precursors appeared to not have noticed how far down their blush had spread, or that they even had one at all. “Newton can give you a biology lesson.”

“Gottlieb,” they growled, “you puffed-up, sniveling little bitch.”

Hermann raised his eyebrows, leaning down so their faces were nearly inches apart. The Precursors’ hands were shaking. “Oh no,” he said, “no. That’s _doctor_ bitch to all of _you_.”

That, apparently, was what finally did it for Newton, because he (there was no doubt in Hermann’s mind about _that_ ), grabbed Hermann by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss before the Precursors could get another insult in. 

Typically, someone hissing “Fuck you,” into his mouth while kissing would be a turn-off for him, but the bound hands running up his chest said otherwise. Newton’s mouth was warm and insistent and clearly starved for whatever Hermann was willing to give, which was damn near anything it wanted. He felt something that might have been insulting mouthed against him, but the loud moan Newton let out when Hermann moved down to suck hard at the underside of his jaw swallowed up any last traces of the Precursors’ resistance. He ran his thumb over the collarbone exposed by Newton’s ragged, wrinkled button down, dragging his mouth down to trace it lightly with his tongue. Newton made a high, keening noise and pulled on Hermann’s shirt, drawing him forward and onto the bed with him.

Newton quickly scrambled to the center, panting hard and kicking the thin sheet off to the floor. “Hey,” he said dazedly, “missed you, good to see you, how’s things?”

Hermann glanced down at the steady tenting of his slacks, Newton following his eyes, and smirked. “Coming along. You?”

“Well,” said Newton breezily, “made some fun new discoveries last night. Real scientific. Wanted to do some preliminary research.”

He awkwardly took the thin pillow from behind him and handed it to Hermann, who gratefully slipped it under his knee. “Oh?” he asked. “And what were your findings?”

Newton, in his excitement, was finding his shirt buttons a difficult obstacle. “I, uhーshitーI fingered myself. In my brain, dude. It was awesome.”

Hermann felt a jolt of arousal go straight to his cock. His eyebrows flew up. “YーYou did? Do that?”

“Yeah,” Newton chuckled, looking up for a moment and winking. “I ignored ‘em the whole time while they were doing some big focus-group or whatever. Dumbasses. They never actually had a Plan B.”

“I gathered,” Hermann said dryly. He batted Newton’s hands away, gently beginning to unbutton the rest of his shirt. “Here, let me.”

Newton stared openly down at Hermann’s hands, seemingly mesmerized as he sat sprawled with his legs spread around them. When Hermann undid the last button, he looked up, taking in Newton’s expression and bringing his fingers up to cup his jaw. “You’re not subtle,” he said softly.

“God, I hope not,” Newton replied, then frowned and rolled his eyes. “Jesus. Shut _up_.”

“Them?” Hermann asked, and Newton nodded.

“Yeah. Some complaints are being lodged.”

Hermann, in response, pushed Newton’s shirt most of the way off, grabbed as many threads of the fraying fabric that he could and ripped it around the handcuffs, then pressed a quick kiss to his clavicle. Newton sucked in a sharp breath. “Well then,” he said, “that certainly doesn’t mean we have to listen.”

With that, he ran a hand down Newton’s chest and took one of his nipples in his mouth, sucking hard for a moment before swirling it around gently with his tongue. Newton made a punched-out noise followed by a loud, high whine, leaning back as one hand closed tightly into a fist. “Oh my God,” he wheezed, “oh Jesus, fuck, I _knew_ you looked for shit to abuse.”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about,” Hermann said, although he might have put the just slightest effort into seeing if Newton had any particularly sensitive areas. He took the other nipple in his mouth, biting down gently. Newton dug his nails into the fabric of his pants, his knees moving to almost press against Hermann’s sides.

“You cheat. You fucking cheat. That’s notー _ah_ ーthat’s not fair!”

Hermann pulled away and leaned back. “Would you like me to stop?”

“I will call security if you fucking do,” Newton said, dead serious, and lay back. He ran his hands over Hermann’s shoulders, then over his stark collarbones and down to rest just over his heart. Hermann felt the solid warmth of his skin where they lay. “I can’t believe you. Did you know way back when, I thought I was gonna seduce _you_? After the War ended, I told myself, with flowers and chocolates and fucking Hozier and everything. Like, I had a whole vanilla bean candle I was saving.”

Hermann felt himself grow warm. “IーI would have found that very charming. And romantic.” He put his hand over Newtons’. “But I would have had you inーin a supply closet, or that bloody helicopter ride, or anywhere else, as long as it was with you. And I’m glad you’re here now.” He bent down and kissed the center of Newton’s chest, then his sternum, moving downward to the dented clasp of his pants. “I will give those things credit for these, however. I had the most unseemly thoughts about you during that presentation.”

“Why don’t you make good on them, then?” Newton asked with a smug smile, as if it had been his idea all along. Hermann nipped the soft skin of his stomach in response, then twisted the mangled clasp out of its hook and pulled the zipper down.

Newton had thankfully been allowed changes of underwear, and the scent of sex hit Hermann right away. He slid the pants down as Newton lifted his hips, pulling them off and dropping them to the floor. His underwear was already soaked through, and Hermann pressed his mouth to the center of the wet spot and pushed his tongue forward.

Newton’s hips nearly jerked off the bed, and he groaned when Hermann began to mouth at him through the fabric. “Hermann, baby, dude, c’mon; please take them off.”

Hermann sighed, as if this was a great burden to him (when in fact, it was more of a difficulty to keep from grinding his now entirely hard cock against the mattress), and slipped his fingers underneath the waistband of Newton’s briefs to pull them down. He managed to get them to his knees before being able to resist no longer, and ran his hands up the outsides of Newton’s thighs until his thumbs rested just outside his folds.

He looked up, wanting to see Newton’s face before he began, but felt his heart jump in his throat at the furious expression on it. His mouth fell into a flat line. “You all are quite rude, you know.”

“You have exactly two seconds before we make good on our promise and break your nose,” the Precursors said fiercely. Their knuckles were white from clenching into fists. Hermann considered a reply, but a thumb accidentally slid down through Newton’s wetness to brush right over his clit, and he was back within the instant to let his eyes roll back into his head.

“ _Jesus_. Sorry, Iーgotーuhーdistracted,” he tried, pushing his hips forward towards Hermann’s finger. Hermann pulled it back to join the others.

“I see. Well then, Newton, do you think you deserve this?”

Newton’s forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and he whined. “IーI don’t fucking know, Hermann; nー”

“Because I think you do,” he finished. “But if you want me to continue, I’ll have to hear you say it, first.”

Newton’s eyes widened. “ _What?_ That’sーThat’s ridiculous, I don’t need toー”

“Say you deserve this, Newton,” Hermann said firmly. “You do. Or I won’t move another muscle.”

“Are you _kidding_ me?” Newton said, shooting an incredulous look at him. When Hermann refused to so much as blink, he sighed. “God, fine. Fine! I deserve this. I deserve for you to fuck me.” He glared. “Happy?”

“Immensely,” said Hermann, and finally moved his hands to spread Newton’s folds and put his mouth on him.

When the tip of his tongue first touched Newton’s clit, Hermann didn’t even need to look up to know that his mouth had dropped into a perfect, round o-shape. He brought it down, using the underside of his tongue to drag its way to the bottom of Newton’s cunt, then flattened it and licked a stripe to the top. He swirled it around, dipping the tip inside for just a moment, then moving back up to seal his lips around his clit and suck gently. Newton’s thighs trembled on either side of his head, twitching as Hermann sucked harder and moved his tongue back and forth across the bundle of nerves. Hermann heard a long, low groan escape from his mouth, and brought one hand down to carefully undo his own slacks to relieve the pressure on his aching cock.

“You’re gonna, uh, you’re gonnaーoh _God_ ーyou are gonna fuck me, right? Like, that wasーshitーheavily implied, so, uh, any time you maybe wanna start working towarーtowards that, would be great?” Newton managed, hips twitching forward into Hermann’s mouth. “Because I really don’t know hoーhow you’re so good at this, but I do know I’m gonna fuー _fucking_ dieーlike, my heart is gonna explode or something if you don’tー _Hermann_ ,” he said, words breaking off into another moan. Hermann pulled his lips away, smirking.

“I’m quite honestly getting the impression you expected me to be some blushing virgin. Should I be offended?”

Newton was having a difficult time catching his breath, but still managed to reply, “You had six different sweater vests in the same shade of brown you insisted were different colors. I did the math.”

Hermann rolled his eyes. “Newton, they were; we’ve discussed this. Monday’s was tan, Tuesday’s was beige, Wednesday’s wasー”

“The fact that you assigned each one a day of the week is really not helping your case here.” He brought his hands up to his mouth to stifle the laugh threatening to break through. Hermann snorted, taking the pillow and pulling it under his knee as he pushed himself forward and batted them away.

“Don’t you dare. You’ve made me miss that horrid laugh of yours, and I require exposure therapy to come to my senses.” He held Newton’s hands between his own for a moment, feeling his heart stutter at the warm, rough skin that even years of desk work couldn’t smooth away. Most of the long-faded scars and litanies of calluses he could trace back to one lab incident or another, and that reminder of their historyーthe years and years he had almost forgotten they truly sharedーwas somehow more overwhelming than what they were about to do. Hermann felt his vision blur slightly.

“Hey, hey,” Newton said softly, bringing his hands up, still in Hermann’s grip, to touch his cheek. “You okay?”

Hermann didn’t bother to try and hide the emotion in his voice. “Yes, very,” he said, feeling his cheeks ache from smiling so wide. “I’m justーI’m very okay, Newton. The most I have been in a long time.”

Newton let out a huff, and almost immediately took in a choked breath. “C’mon, dude. I’m trying to be sexy for you in a fucking prison cell, and you’re gonna make me lose it.”

Hermann pressed his lips together and shut his eyes tight, composing himself. When he opened them again, he took Newton’s hands and pushed them over his head and onto the bed in one swift movement. Leaning down, he pressed their lips together and bit Newton’s bottom lip enough to draw a yelp from him. Newton chased him with a whimper as he pulled away, his eyes having regained their hunger. “Well yes,” said Hermann, tracing a finger up and down Newton’s wrist in a way that made him squirm, “that’s rather the idea.”

Hermann brought a hand down back between Newton’s legs, rubbing his fingers against his clit a few times just to watch the hands he was still holding strain against their bonds. He trailed his fingers down over Newton’s labia to his soaked cunt, dipping both in and out shallowly in a way he knew would be utter torture. Newton made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat.

“Please, Hermann, please; just start with two at this point, okay, just _please_ get your fingers inside meー _fuck_ ーI want them so badー”

“Needy,” Hermann murmured, which Newton clearly heard and decided to prove right. He arched himself enticingly off the bed, displaying his chest and those stark, gorgeous tattoos that had haunted Hermann’s dreams and personal standards for longer than he could remember. He figured that effort like that should be rewarded, and so slipped both his fingers into Newton’s cunt until they were deep enough to crook one knuckle inside him. He spread them slightly and curled them in and out, moving with the rhythm that Newton’s hips picked up as he desperately tried to take them even deeper.

“God, did you know you have, like, stupid porn fantasy fingers?” he panted, eyes fluttering open and shut Hermann began to scissor them alongside his thrusts. “They’re soーuhーlong and pretty andーandーGod, I thought about licking chalk dust off them if you’d believe it.”

“I’d have let you for a moment of quiet,” Hermann replied wryly, and let go of Newton’s hands to trace one finger over the seam of his lips. Newton, delightfully, kept them exactly where they were, and opened his mouth to take Hermann’s finger and swirl his tongue around its pad. Hermann felt his breath stutter. Newton’s lips were soft and kiss-red, enveloping his finger in a tight heat. He fluttered his eyelashes, moving his tongue around the end of Hermann’s finger in a way that felt downright obscene, and pushing his head forward to take more of it. 

Hermann, feeling his cock practically jump at the sight, added a third finger and began twisting them around with renewed intensity. He removed the fingers from Newton’s mouth, feeling a rush of arousal at the disappointed whimper he made, and began to stroke the soft skin of his hip with his thumb.

“Oh you poor thing,” he crooned, voice dripping with mock-sympathy. “You _have_ had quite the ordeal, haven’t you? All that stress. It’s made you so tense, Newton darling; you need to relax or I’ll never be able to get inside you.” He curled all three fingers up at the same time, causing a shout that dissolved into a long, shaky moan. 

“I’mー _fuck_ , keep talking, your voice is so fucking hot, you know that? Jesus, Hermann.”

Hermann brushed his lips against the sensitive skin of Newton’s jaw and smiled. “I will. I’m right here, dear, I have you. You’ve waited so, so long for this; just let yourself go. It’s what you want, and I _do_ want you to have what you want. You littleーahー” Here, Hermann fumbled for a word, the limits of his experience catching up with him. “Slut,” he settled on, the sound feeling foreign and silly in his mouth, but the reaction Newton gave was more than worth it. He tilted his head back, as if begging Hermann to take advantage of the smooth, unmarked skin of his neck, dotted with a few hairs that had crept down that far.

With a rush of something hot and exciting, Hermann found that he _did_. He wanted to paint Newton’s skin, every inch of him, every part that _they_ had touched, with bites and bruises and kisses and dark colors that made it clear who he _really_ belonged to, and whose heart he held in the palm of his hand. He wanted those marks as talismans, as warning signs to anyone who dared to dream of laying a finger on him again. The proof that they had done this, that it had been _Hermann_ who had saved him, in a way that no one could deny. That they were what they were to each other, unquestionably. That nothing in this universe, or any other, could change that.

He sucked hard at a spot just above Newton’s collarbone, scraping it gently with his teeth in a way that made him gasp and squirm under Hermann’s mouth. His lips dragged up his neck, sucking a mark again, then trailed light kisses down to his shoulder, where Hermann bit down. He pulled his fingers all the way out at the same time, chasing Newton’s shout with a thrust that twisted it into a broken moan. Hermann kissed and sucked at it until the deep purple of the bruise stood out clearly against the collision of other colors, leaning back to admire his handiwork. Newton, evidently, appreciated it as well.

“Fuck,” he whined, “fuck, Hermann, _yes_ , please moreーas many as you want, anything you want, please, I just need you toー” He cut himself off with a dismayed noise as Hermann pulled his fingers out, wiping them on the bedsheet. “No, c’mon, please dudeー”

“Newton,” Hermann said bemusedly, shifting his weight onto his good knee so he could push his slacks and undergarments down and off, “I thought you said you wanted me toーerー” he had to take another breath to steel his nerves, “fuck you. I’d certainly like to.”

Newton’s eyes went huge. “Yeah, yeah, I did say that, and I stand by it, I wannaー” When his gaze fell on Hermann’s cock, flushed and hard against his stomach, he made a choked-off noise. “Oh, what the fuck.”

Hermann felt his face warm. “IーI’m aware it’s not exactly standardー”

Newton toed his briefs the rest of the way off so quickly, they almost flew across the cell. “Hermann I say this with all the honesty in my heart and no self control left: if I had known your dick was that big, the Precursors could not have dragged me to Shao by my fucking fingernails.”

“And you’re not, ah,” Hermann rubbed at the side of his nose embarrassedly, “concerned as to how it will, erーfit?”

“Well no, not really,” Newton said quickly, eyes tracing over the bead of precome at the tip like Hermann was a five course meal. “It’s honestly kind of funny how perfect a restitution this is, and I’d be laughing if I also weren’t extremely pissed that I could have been spending the last decade getting my entire abdominopelvic cavity turned to fucking jelly.”

Hermann gave a sputtering cough at this, his cheeks now on fire. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Newton.”

“No, no you have a porno dick. Like an actual, shouldn’t-be-realistic, porno dick.” Newton’s legs spread even wider as he let out a hysterical little laugh. “Oh my God my life makes no sense. Thank God. Hermann if you don’t fuck me I _will_ cry.”

“Well we certainly don’t want that,” he replied with a roll of his eyes. “You’re quite dramatic, you know that, yes?”

“I know I haven’t moved my hands this whole time, which has gotta count for something,” Newton said with a wink. Hermann considered this.

“Hmm, you _are_ correct. Such good behavior, darling.” He kissed the bridge of Newton’s nose, then the inside of each of his wrists. “I simply could not ask for more.”

Hermann had already harbored suspicions that Newton’s desire for his approval also extended to the bedroom, and he was pleased to find that he was correct. Newton let out a high noise and jerked his hips upward, searching for friction in the empty air. “Yeah, I will, I’ll be goodーHermann I’ll be so good, I promise, please?”

His legendary self-restraint finally reaching its end at the sight of Newton, spread out and begging and flushed with need, Hermann placed both his hands on Newton’s soft hips and lined himself up with his cunt. It was even wetter now, and he entered with such ease that it was difficult to keep from sliding all the way in. Newton groaned so long and loud, Hermann was sure that if they had been anywhere else, someone would have heard. He swore under his breath, struggling to keep from coming right then and there with the way Newton twitched and pulsed around him.

“Hermann, c’mon, more,” he insisted, hands flexing in and out of fists as he tried to hold himself together. Hermann let out a long breath and swallowed, slowly pushing the rest of the way in inch by maddening inch. When he at last bottomed out, the unrelenting heat around him pulled a noise out of his throat he was sure he had never made before. Hermann dug his fingers into Newton’s hips and gave a few shallow thrusts, then pulled out and back in with a force that made him yelp and dig his nails into his palms.

Although Newton’s propensity for endless chatter had waned with the force of the Precursors, it was back in full force now. He babbled nonsensically, clenching around Hermann and twisting his hips to take him even deeper as Hermann’s fingers left bruises on his sides. When Hermann hit a spot that made him outright _scream_ , he turned on his good knee slightly to better angle himself towards it. Newton’s words dissolved into something unintelligible as he did, pitching higher and higher as he came undone. 

Hermann, breathing hard, bent down to press their foreheads together. “That’s it, Newton,” he murmured, “that’s it. You’re alright. I have you.” Newton tilted his head upward to kiss him, moaning into his mouth as something in the back of Hermann’s mind teetered on the brink. Hermann took one of his hands to reach up and clasp Newton’s own. He rubbed his thumb across the space between Newton’s thumb and pointer finger. “There you go, darling. Come on. Come for me.”

Newton yelped into his mouth, tensing up enough that sparks bloomed beneath Hermann’s eyelids as his orgasm set off Hermann’s own; the Drift bounced back each sensation to near-unbearable levels. Hermann opened his eyes just in time to see Newton’s expressionーdebauched and overwhelmed and completely unabashed in its pleasureーbefore his own wave of heat crashed down around him and his body turned fuzzy and bright. 

Awareness came back to him in stages; first the feeling of his and Newton’s hands still tightly clutching each other, then the rise and fall of Newton’s chest against his, then his warm breath on Hermann’s lips. Hermann took in a deep breath, summoning just enough strength to pull out before flopping onto Newton’s chest with a satisfied sigh. He heard him huff out a spent laugh.

“Hey, Romeo, I wanna cuddle like there’s no tomorrow, but you did say you brought the stuff?”

Hermann’s eyes flew open, and he quickly pushed himself up and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “Oh, yes, I’m terribly sorry, let me justー”

He reached down and took his cane from the floor, gingerly standing and retrieving from the shopping bag a washcloth, a bottle of water, and some antibacterial ointment. He sat back down on the side of the bed, pouring a little water onto the washcloth and using it to carefully wipe the come, both his and Newton’s, from the inside of Newton’s thighs and folds. He gave the rest of the water to him to drink, who did so eagerly as Hermann uncapped the tube of ointment and began carefully dabbing it on where his teeth had broken skin. Newton drained the last of the water and set it down, eyes following Hermann’s hands. Hermann looked up to meet them.

“Hi,” Newton said shyly, hair sticking up at every angle. Hermann was almost overwhelmed with how gorgeous he looked in that moment. “Clear, uh, head now. In case you were wondering.”

“Ah,” Hermann said, suddenly remembering exactly why they had been doing this in the first place. “Yes, I imagined it would be.”

“Dude, they got the fuck out of dodge the moment you pulled your dick out and my brain turned into an error screen,” he snickered. “I’m endorphin city. And sore city tomorrow, but like, who cares?”

“Well I’ll have you in my quarters by then, if I’ve got any say about it,” Hermann said firmly. “Give me a moment to collect myself, and then I’ll fetch someone to speak to aboutー”

Before he could finish, the outer door to Newton’s cell slid open, and a man in a guard’s uniform stormed in with his gun raised. Hermann shrieked at decibels heretofore only Newton could reach, and Newton himself swore violently in two separate languages. He at least had the foresight to grab the sheet from the floor and pull it over them.

The guardーan intern, Hermann realized faintlyーstared at them for five long seconds before nearly dropping his gun and shouting something that might have been an apology, or a plea for what the hell was going on. Both Newton and Hermann looked back blankly.

“I got better,” Newton blurted out, then glanced sidelong at Hermann. 

“He got better,” Hermann confirmed. The guard appeared to be desperately trying not to piece together how that had happened. 

“I’ll, uhーI can justー”

“You are not paid enough for this,” Hermann told him firmly, and he nodded frantically.

“We aren’t paid. I’m gonna go. Please don’t tell Ranger Lambert, Dr. Gottlieb, sir.” And with that, he scrambled out of the room and down the corridor at an audibly brisk pace, before the door slid shut behind him.

The room was dead silent as they both searched for something to say. Then, at last, Newton broke it.

“Did you ever hear about the betting pool on us? That kid is gonna make so much money.”

“Ah, well. Good for him,” Hermann replied awkwardly. He avoided Newton’s gaze for a moment longer before meeting it. Newton stared back.

And then, beginning at precisely the same instant, they both burst into laughter for longer than either had in a very, very long time.


End file.
